More than Roommates
by Harvey Berlin
Summary: Rachel, Santana, Quinn, and Brittany are roommates, but after a night of drunk sex, Santana and Rachel might just be more than roommates.
1. Chapter 1

Santana unlocked the door with her right hand as she clutched the two bags of groceries with her left. She pushed the door open and set the grocery bags on the kitchen table.

"Oh hey, you're back." Rachel called out as she walked out of her bedroom. She started unloading the food and other supplies.

"Yeah, the store was fairly empty for a friday afternoon." Santana helped Rachel with the remaining grocery items.

Once everything had been put away, Santana moved over to the living room, planted herself on the couch, and kicked her feet up on the coffee table. Rachel walked in a minute later and pushed Santana's legs off the table.

"Have you no manners. Do you know how dirty your feet are?" Rachel huffed and proceeded to sit down next to her. Santana merely chuckled in response. They had been roommates for a year now and Rachel still hadn't given up on changing her.

"Do you know when Brit and Quinn are getting home?" Santana asked changing the subject.

"No, they went to the mall about half an hour ago, so I wouldn't expect them back anytime soon."

Santana sighed, tilted her head back, and closed her eyes. She brought up her hands to rub her temples with her index and middle fingers.

"Long day at the office?" Rachel giggled.

"More like a nightmare. Remind me why I ever took this internship with Linda Greene." Santana grunted with her eyes still closed.

"Because she's one of the best prosecutors in New York, and if you want to work in the field, a good review from her is key." Rachel stated as she motioned for Santana to turn so that her back was to Rachel. She began rubbing her shoulders.

"I hate it when you're right. Don't stop doing that." Santana tilted her head to give the brunette better access. Just as Santana was beginning to feel relaxed, her phone rang. With a loud exhale, she picked up the phone and moved to the other room. Rachel smiled as she watched the taller girl walk out of the room. At that instant, her phone buzzed: it was a text from her boyfriend, matt, asking if she was free for dinner that night.

"The crazy bitch needs me to email her a copy of the Smith file; I have to run down to the office really quickly. Do you want me to pick up some dinner on the way home?" Santana paced around their small apartment to find her shoes and purse.

"Actually Matt just asked if I want to go out tonight, but I can stay home if you want me to." Rachel looked up at Santana.

"Oh, no, It's okay. Go out to dinner with your man. Brit and Q should be home for dinner anyways." The taller girl bent down to put on her shoes.

"But you just had a long day at work. I can stay home with you. It's not like I don't see Matt enough." Rachel explained.

"You should go. Plus, I don't think that guy can spend 24 hours without seeing you; he's pretty whipped."

"He is not! He's just sweet and caring like that." Rachel swooned. She and Matt had been seeing each other for 6 months now, but they had been friends prior since they both had gone to NYADA. "Alright, I'll go, but only if you're sure." Rachel said wearily.

"I'm sure, I'm sure." Santana rolled her eyes. Rachel ran to her room to get ready, and Santana left the apartment.

The next morning, Rachel slowly snuck in through the front door hoping not to wake up her roommates. Unfortunately, Quinn was already awake and sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee.

"Late night?" Quinn smirked already knowing where Rachel had spent the night.

"Shut up." Rachel laughed while setting down her purse and phone. "Is Santana awake?" She asked looking around.

"My god, If I didn't know any better, I'd think she's the one you're dating with the amount you worry about her." Quinn shook her head with a smile.

"I care about her. I care about all of you, and she had a rough day yesterday, so I was just checking up on her." Rachel explained.

At that moment, Santana sleepily walked out of her room. "Good morning." She said while yawning.

"Good morning." The two other girls replied.

"How was your date, rach?" She said while grabbing the milk carton from the fridge. She didn't even question Rachel being in the same clothes as last night.

"It was good. Matt took me to that new vegan restaurant that just opened a block away." She smiled.

"And then you boned in his apartment." Santana said casually. Quinn almost spit out her coffee, and Rachel just stood with her mouth open.

"Must you be so crass?" The brunette sputtered. She had yet to become accustomed to the way Santana spoke.

"Am I wrong?" Santana raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Well, no," Rachel admitted.

"Well then that's that." Santana took her mug of coffee and moved to the living room.

"Speaking of, when is the last time you had any action?" Quinn moved over to Santana. "Is someone losing her game?" Quinn pouted.

Santana frowned and turned towards Quinn, "I can get a girl whenever I want for your information; I just haven't been looking. Some of us are trying to get somewhere with our careers."

"Alright. Prove it. The four of us are going to a bar tonight." Quinn challenged.

"You're on." Santana stood up, and went to her room.

"Are you really doubting that Santana can pick up a girl tonight? Have you seen her be charming?" Rachel questioned in a confused tone. It was a commonly known fact that Santana was the ultimate player. She could convince even the straightest girl to go home with her.

"God no, but I think it'll be good for her to go out tonight. She's been so uptight lately."

"Oh I see. Is it cool if I bring Matt tonight?" Rachel asked, and Quinn nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

Santana stepped out of her room wearing black skinny jeans and a black top that draped off one shoulder.

"Are you bitches ready?" She called out. Rachel, Quinn, and Brittany stepped out of their respective rooms. Rachel was putting in her hoops.

"Matt is waiting for us downstairs." Everyone put on their shoes and filed out the front door.

Once they got to the bar, Brittany bought them all their first round of shots.

"Drink up, Santana. You'll need some liquid courage to show all these ladies how charming you can be." Brittany giggled. After a couple drinks, the group became completely engrossed in the music and atmosphere. Santana immediately noticed a brunette across the bar, and she smirked.

"Hey, Quinn, watch how it's done." She began her path to the brunette. The group watched in amazement as Santana walked back less than 10 minutes later with a phone number.

"How did you do that?" Matt questioned looking highly impressed.

"Why do you care?" Rachel looked back at him with a playful tone and a raised eyebrow. Matt put both arms up in defense.

"Hey, you wanna dance?" Matt reached out his hand to Rachel, and she accepted. The other three girls followed after another round of shots. After the first couple songs, Santana became hot, so she stepped aside to get some air.

"Did it get too crowded in there?" The girl made her way towards the latina. She had shoulder length red hair, and was wearing jeans and a jean jacket.

"Yeah, as much as I love getting hot and sweaty and pressed on by people, it was getting a little suffocating in there." Santana laughed.

"Tell me about it. I'm Alex." The red-head reached her hand out. Santana introduced herself as well.

"Alright it's getting a little cold outside; I think I'm going to head inside. Are you coming, Santana?" Alex raised her eyebrows. The two girls went back inside the club.

Seeing Santana and a new girl walk in, Quinn shook her head in disbelief. "How does she already have a new girl by her side?"


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Santana walked out to see her roommates already awake and making breakfast.

"I'm surprised to see you alone." Brittany chuckled and took a bite of her bacon. Everyone assumed she would be bringing a lucky lady home with her since she had managed to charm at least four.

"Who said I was alone?" Santana smirked and continued walking towards the freshly made coffee. Last night, she had left the bar a little later than everyone else, and she had sparked another conversation with the same red-head that was currently laying naked in the Latina's bed.

"San!" The blonde exclaimed.

"Why are you surprised? Could you not hear their thumping last night? I hardly got any sleep." Rachel grumbled into her coffee. Santana watched as the shorter girl walked past everyone to sit at the kitchen table.

"What crawled up your ass?" Santana frowned.

"Don't mind her. She's just grumpy because Matt had to leave early last night, and she didn't get any action," Quinn chuckled.

"That is so not true! I just sleep better when I'm not alone." This was true; most nights, either Matt would spend the night or she would go over to his apartment. Mainly it was the latter since he lived alone, and Rachel had three roommates. On nights where Matt was busy, Rachel usually climbed into Santana's bed, but she obviously couldn't do that last night. The Latina smiled knowingly at her.

Santana headed back into her bedroom just as Alex was waking up. Alex opened her eyes and yawned.

"Good morning," Santana smiled.

"Mmm good morning," Alex yawned again. She sat up, and Santana sat next to her on the bed. The redhead stretched to give Santana a kiss, but Santana didn't let it go farther than a peck.

"Oh! Is that the time? I completely forgot my boss asked me to be at work in an hour." Santana jumped off the bed, and after a couple seconds, Alex followed, and started looking for her clothes that were scattered on the floor.

"Okay, I guess I'll leave you to it." Alex smiled understandingly. The two girls got dressed and made their way out of the bedroom and towards the front door. Santana opened the door, and Alex walked halfway through and turned around.

"Bye, Santana, call me, and maybe we can recreate last night." Alex winked, and reached for the taller girl's lips. Santana pulled her in and deepened the kiss. When they split apart, Santana waved to the redhead who was still in a haze. She closed the door and turned to her three roommates who looked mildly flustered.

"San, why are you dressed for work?" Brittany questioned breaking the silence.

"Oh my god, you used the work excuse to get her to leave, didn't you?" Quinn gasped.

"Well I had to get her to leave somehow. I couldn't afford having her think that this was anything more than a one time thing," Santana said while looking down.

"You're not going to call her back, are you?" Rachel shook her head.

"Of course not, but there's another number I may be using tonight." Santana smirked and dug into her purse in search of the brunette's number from last night.

"You are unbelievable," Rachel said incredulously.

"Yeah, but you love me anyways," Santana smiled and poured herself another cup of coffee.

The girls finished their breakfast, and Quinn and Brittany decided to go to the gym. Rachel and Santana were lounging on the couch. The latter was laying with her head on Rachel's lap.

"Do you have any plans with Matt today?" Santana looked up at the brunette.

"No, he's visiting his family back in Boston, so he's gone all week."

"We should go shopping today. I still need to drop my dress off to get tailored," Santana suggested.

"You still haven't done that? San, Holly and Brandon's wedding is in two weeks!" Rachel looked down in disbelief at how forgetful and irresponsible the girl on her lap could be.

"Chill out. Two weeks is plenty of time." Santana got up and started walking towards her bedroom. "Well, are you gonna come with me, or not?" Rachel finally got off the couch to go get ready to go out.


	4. Chapter 4

Brittany sat on the couch watching Saturday morning cartoons when Quinn ran in through the door with bags from her last minute shopping.

"Hey, Brit! I'm in a rush; do you know where Rachel is?" Quinn got out quickly while closing the front door with her foot.

"Yeah, she's in her bathroom getting ready." Brittany answered while never taking her eyes off of the tv and putting a spoonful of cereal in her mouth. The shorter blonde scurried to the bathroom that she and Rachel shared still carrying all of her bags.

The brunette was half-dressed and in the midst of curling her hair. As she released a long, loose curl from the clamp of the curler, she looked through the window to see Quinn walking up to the bathroom door.

"Hey, Rach, can you help me with my hair once you're done?" Quinn pleaded.

"I thought Santana was helping you; where did she go?" Rachel turned back to the mirror, and she began curling another portion of her hair. She hadn't seen Santana all day, so she must have left the house before Rachel woke up.

"Well, she _was_ , but then she got called in to work today. Please help me, Rachel." Quinn kneeled down and began to beg in a mocking manner. Rachel chuckled at how ridiculous her friend looked on the floor.

"Of course I can help, Quinn," Rachel acquiesced, "I'll be done with my hair in about twenty minutes, then I'm all yours." Quinn gathered her bags and moved to her bedroom to set them down. To pass the time, Quinn opted to join Brittany on the couch to watch cartoons.

"Are you gonna watch with me?" Brittany exclaimed and reached out for the other blonde's arm to pull her down next to her. Quinn lost her balance and fell on the couch landing right next to the excited blonde.

"Jesus, Britt," She laughed while situating herself in a more comfortable position.

 **X.**

Rachel finished curling the last strand of hair and put away the curling iron. She walked out to get Quinn, but she found her asleep with her head on the other sleeping blonde's shoulder.

"Unbelievable," Rachel said to herself with a smile. She reached down to gently shake Quinn's shoulder in an attempt to awaken her. Before she had a chance, however, the front door was slammed closed causing all three girls to jump.

"Shouldn't you all be busy getting ready?" Santana questioned.

"What the hell, S? You almost gave me a heart attack!" Quinn cried still out of breath.

"Do you _have_ to close the door with such force?" Rachel looked back at Santana.

"What, I thought you would appreciate the dramatic entrance." Santana shrugged and sauntered to their bathroom. Rachel shook her head and allowed a small smile to grace her lips.

"You ready for hair, Quinn?" She turned back towards the still dazed blonde.

The pair were in their shared bathroom, and Rachel was in the midst of pulling Quinn's hair back into a updo when Santana entered.

"Wow, I see that I was replaced in my role as hairdresser." Santana joked.

"Well maybe you shouldn't have gone out when you were needed." Quinn teased back.

"Screw you. Linda basically threatened to take my job away if I didn't show up today." She rolled her eyes. She pulled up the small chair that was by the sink and sat watching Rachel work. "What time is Matt meeting us for the wedding tonight?" She questioned.

"He actually said he's coming by a little later because he has something about which he wants to talk to me." Rachel answered not taking her eyes off of the blonde's hair.

"What could loverboy need to talk about?" Santana said while spinning in her chair.

"I'm not sure, but he didn't seem too serious. He probably just wanted some alone time since he's been away visiting his family for the past week."

 **X.**

Rachel finished touching up her make-up just as she received a notification that Matt was in front of their building. She smiled to herself and made her way downstairs.

"Matt is downstairs. Meet us down there when you're ready," She yelled out to the other girls who were still in the bathroom finishing getting ready. The brunette made her way down the elevator and through the front doors of the lobby to find her boyfriend waiting for her. Rachel halted when she realized he was immensely underdressed in jeans and a white t-shirt.

"Uh, you do know the wedding is in an hour, right?" Rachel approached him and frowned in confusion.

"We need to talk, Rach." Matt looked down and began playing with the hem of his shirt. Immediately, Rachel knew this conversation wasn't headed in a good direction. "Do you want to sit?" Matt directed her towards the benches that were placed near the entrance of her building.

"I made a mistake, Rachel. I'm so sorry. You know how much I love you and how much you mean to me-" Matt started but was quickly cut off by Rachel.

"Just tell me."

"I slept with someone else." He avoided eye contact with the brunette despite the broken, sad eyes that were boring holes in the side of his face. Multiple minutes passed before either person spoke again. When Matt finally looked up, Rachel was staring at the ground.

"Who?" Rachel finally spoke, and her voice had never sounded more broken. The lump in her throat made it impossible to stop the tears from sliding down her face.

"I don't see how that will help; I don't want to hurt you." Matt gently placed his hand on her leg. Rachel shot up and wiped the tears off of her face.

"It's a little late for that." She walked briskly back to the elevator and made her way back up to her apartment.

Santana and Brittany were both ready, and they were waiting on Quinn to finish putting on her heels.

"Q, if you take any longer, we're leaving without you." Santana rolled her eyes and reached to open the door, but before she got a chance, it was opened from the outside. Rachel walked in avoiding eye contact with any of her friends, but her red-rimmed eyes, tear-streaked cheeks, and sniffles gave away that she had been crying.

"Rachel, what happened?" Santana dropped her purse and phone and walked over to the saddened brunette. Rachel wanted to answer, but her short, panicked breathing made it difficult.

"He-" She let go for the first time and began sobbing uncontrollably. Her heart clenched tightly in her chest. She sat on the closest surface she could find which was the loveseat. Santana immediately sat next to her and held her in a firm grasp while slowly rubbing the shorter girl's arm in an effort to console her. "Shh, it's okay; that asshole will pay for this. I'll make sure of it."

The other two slowly came forth and sat on the floor in front of where Santana and Rachel were seated. After a couple minutes of being soothed by Santana, the brunette collected herself and slowly made her way out of the Latina's arms.

"He was with someone else," Rachel said miserably while looking down. The rest of the girls looked around at each with looks of anger, sadness, and pity.

"That's it! Pretty-boy better watch out because I'm gonna go _all_ Lima Heights on his ass." Santana shot up and headed for the door until she was stopped and dragged back by Quinn.

"I don't know how much you'll be able to console Rach from prison," Quinn looked pointedly at the angry Latina.

"Quinn's right. I don't want you to confront Matt at all, any of you" Rachel looked up pleadingly at her friends.

"Don't worry, Rachie, we all promise." Brittany gave a soft smile.

"Alright, alright. I won't hurt the douche, but you just say the word and he's dead." Rachel laughed in response, but a part of her knew the girl was serious.

"Hey, I get it if you want to just stay home tonight. We can all watch a movie here instead," Quinn offered.

"No, no. I'm not going to let my problems get in the way of everyone having fun. Plus, I wouldn't want to offend Holly and Brandon. Let me go get cleaned up, and then we can go." Rachel glumly got up and trudged to her bathroom.

"I don't know how good of an idea this is; she's obviously not in the condition to watch two people promise to love each other forever," Quinn whispered as soon as Rachel was out of earshot.

"It's up to her; I'm not gonna force her to stay home, and maybe it'll be good for her to get out of her head for a little bit," Santana mused.

 **X.**

Rachel had managed to keep it together during the ceremony despite the pitiful looks she was receiving from her friends. Afterwards, she walked outside of the building to cool off and to take a quick breather.

"How are you feeling?" Santana sauntered out and leaned her back against the wall next to the brunette.

"I'm fine." She looked up and gave the Latina the best smile she could muster.

"You don't have to lie."

"I loved him, Santana." Rachel looked back down and fought the tears that were threatening to spill out. The taller girl turned towards her and gave her a hug.

"I know, but he won't be the only one. You're one of the most amazing people I know; someone would have to be stupid not to fall in love with you," Santana said while staring deep into Rachel's eyes.

"I think I'm going to go home. I'm not really in the mood to party." Rachel pulled away.

"What? No, Rach, don't let him ruin your night. You said you were going to come tonight, and I'm going to make sure you enjoy yourself," the Latina said with a half grin. The two made their way inside, and Rachel began looking around for their two other friends.

"First things first, you need to loosen up, and lucky for us, there is an open bar," Santana said into Rachel's ear in order to be heard over the blaring music. She grabbed Rachel's hand and dragged her towards where the young bartender was making drinks.

"I don't know if drinking is the best thing to get me to cheer up. It is a depressant after all." Rachel tried to stop Santana from pulling her, but the taller girl was stronger. Santana looked back at the unwilling girl.

"Live a little," she dared. The brunette rolled her eyes and acquiesced.

 **X.**

One hour and many drinks later, Santana had gotten Rachel completely drunk.

"You know what? I think some part of me always knew that Matt and I weren't meant to be. That's why I never slept with him," Rachel said pensively. Santana almost spit out her drink.

"You never slept with Matt?" She exclaimed.

"Nope," Rachel said finally looking at Santana.

"You two had been dating for a year, and you never slept with him?" Santana still wasn't over her initial shock.

"Sex isn't everything, Santana. And plus, we did _other_ stuff. I just never felt comfortable going that far. And he was fine with it. Our emotional bond was enough for him."

"Bullshit," Santana scoffed, "no guy is okay with not having sex for a whole year." All of a sudden, Rachel's mood worsened and the sad, broken expression graced her face again.

"Do you think that's why he did it?" Santana's eyes went wide after she realized the effect her previous words had on Rachel.

"No, no, no. Listen to me, Rach, this is in no way your fault. If he couldn't keep it in his pants long enough to wait for you, then he was never worth it. You should be glad you never slept with his cheating ass." Santana said and then turned back towards the bar. Rachel continued to stare at Santana.

"Why are you always so sweet to me?" This caused Santana to laugh.

"What do you mean? You're my friend; of course I'm going to be nice to you." Rachel leaned her head so that it was resting on the taller girl's shoulder as they were sat at the bar.

"I wish I could date someone like you. If you were a guy, I would totally be with you."

"And what makes you think dude me would go for you?" Santana raised an eyebrow. Rachel raised her head and looked hurt for a moment before she caught Santana's joking tone. After her realization, she smiled and softly hit Santana in the same shoulder her head was previously on.

"Shut up. _Dude you_ would be lucky if I gave him the time of day."

"Wow, I see your lack of confidence was only temporary." Santana laughed. This is the first time she's seen her friend in a good mood all night, and she couldn't be happier.

"Not that it matters if you're a guy." Rachel took another sip of her drink. The Latina looked up at her with wide eyes. In all of the time that she'd known Rachel Berry, she did not think she would swing for the other team.

"You're into girls?"

"I can be."

"Have you ever slept with a girl?" Santana questioned.

"Why? You interested?" Rachel smirked back, but soon broke into a fit of laughter.

"Shut up." Santana smiled and shook her head.

"Oh I love this song! Dance with me, Sanny." Rachel hopped off the bar stool and pulled Santana's arm towards the dance floor. The pair met up with Quinn and Brittany, and the group swayed along to the music. After a few songs, the tempo slowed down, and the only people remaining on the floor were couples.

"Britt and I are going to go sit down," Quinn said breathlessly.

"Alright let's go sit." Santana looked back and Rachel who had yet to move from her spot on the dance floor.

"Will you dance with me? There's no reason only couples should get to enjoy themselves. Santana looked at the brunette for a second before accepting her invitation to dance. The two swayed slowly to the song.

"You know, you never answered if you've slept with a girl or not," Santana said nonchalantly.

"You're just gonna have to find out for yourself."

"What?" Santana looked up only to feel the brunette's lips crash into her's. She pulled back. They were both drunk, and Rachel had just gone through a heartbreak.

"Rachel, wait, are you sure about this?" Santana looked seriously into the shorter girl's eyes.

"Live a little," Rachel said quoting the Latina's previous words. With that, Santana grabbed Rachel's hand and pulled her outside and into a cab to make their way home.

Once the girls were inside the elevator, Santana turned to the smaller brunette and closed the distance in between them. The kisses grew more passionate as the elevator reached their floor. The two separated long enough to make it to their front door. Rachel fumbled with the keys as she tried to unlock the door quickly. Once inside, Santana pressed Rachel's back against the door, and leaned down to capture her lips in a long, passionate kiss. Rachel pushed herself off the wall and walked Santana towards her bedroom.


	5. Chapter 5

Rachel awoke from the sun peeking through the barely open blinds, and she immediately groaned from the massive headache she was enduring. She put her head back on the pillow and shut her eyes tightly. Slowly, memories of the night before came back to her. Despite the pain, Rachel shot up in panic and turned to her right. She gasped in realization when she saw her best friend's naked figure under the covers.

"Shit, shit, shit," she muttered as she slowly got up to find her clothes that were scattered on the floor. She threw the clothes in her laundry basket and quickly put on a new outfit as quietly as she could. The last thing she wanted to do was confront Santana about the night before when she felt this hungover. Tiptoeing out of the room, Rachel closed the door behind her and headed for the kitchen to make a cup of coffee.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Quinn called out from behind her newspaper at the breakfast table. Rachel sat down and immediately held her head in her hands.

"I feel awful," Rachel groaned. The blonde chuckled at the look of misery on her friend's face.

"Maybe you shouldn't have drank so much," Quinn put the newspaper down so that she could look pointedly at Rachel.

"You know, the last thing I need right now is your cocky tone," Rachel sighed. Quinn put the newspaper down, sat up straight, and placed a hand on Rachel's arm.

"You're right; that was insensitive. How are you doing? I know last night was a lot," Quinn had dropped her playful tone and opted for a completely serious one instead.

"Quinn," Rachel looked down.

"It's okay, Rach, I know it isn't easy, but it _will_ get better. I can promise that," She gave the brunette a small smile.

"I know. Thanks for being here, Quinn, and I think it's starting to hurt less." The door to Rachel's bathroom creaked open, and a very tired Santana sauntered out. Rachel's eyes went wide. This would be the first time the two had confronted each other since their incident last night.

"Let's just say it's not the first thing on my mind anymore," Rachel got up to busy herself with the coffee machine.

"Hey, S, what were you doing in our bathroom?" Quinn slowly asked as she scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion.

"Uh, well, Brittany was using our's," Santana pieced together. Her eyes traveled to the kitchen where the small brunette was fumbling with the kitchen appliances trying to make a cup of coffee.

"You mind making me a cup too?" Santana called out. Rachel whipped around and looked at her startled.

"Uh, sure," Rachel squeaked. She turned back around and shut her eyes tightly. She could feel the blood rush to her cheeks, so she attempted to calm herself down by taking some deep breaths. In, out, in, out, in-

"Are you okay?" She felt a small hand grab her arm to turn her around. She was faced with the latina who was looking at her with a cocked eyebrow.

"Yup! I'm dandy." Rachel gave a tight smile and turned back around.

"Is this something we're gonna need to talk about?" Santana said to the brunette's back.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Santana," Rachel didn't bother to turn around. Santana didn't buy it, but it was for the best that she let it go.

"Okay good. Just because I was probably the best you've ever had doesn't mean things need to be weird," Santana said quietly.

"Best I've ever-what?" Rachel turned around and looked at the Latina incredulously, "What makes you think that you were the best I've ever had?"

"Oh, Rach, I'm _always_ the best," Santana said with a small smirk before turning around and sauntering out the kitchen. Rachel was left behind only being able to sputter incomplete thoughts.

 **X.**

It had been a couple weeks since Santana and Rachel's kitchen encounter, and the tension between them had simmered down, and they were almost back to normal. Rachel had been relieved that their drunken mistake hadn't cost them their friendship. Santana, however, had taken a liking to watching Rachel squirm with the mention of anything relating to their night. She had made a habit of making innocent innuendos and references that elicited wide eyes and a blush from Rachel. The shorter girl's exasperated response each time had become a source of enjoyment for Santana.

The four girls were sitting around their dining table eating breakfast when Quinn decided to speak up, "Rach, I think it's time that you start seeing someone again, and I have the perfect candidate. His name is Mark and he works at the cafe with me-," She stopped talking when she saw Rachel's scrunched eyebrows and grimace.

"I don't know, Quinn. Honestly, I don't think I'm ready to be with someone like that yet," She said apologetically. At this, Santana raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, Q, she's just probably not ready to let go of her last time. I mean, we can't really blame her for constantly thinking about it. It's probably running through her mind all day," Santana went on unable to hide her smirk.

"What?" Brittany looked up at the Latina quizzically. Rachel's eyes were two, round saucers at this point and her mouth kept opening and closing. At the site of Santana's pure enjoyment, Rachel's expression turned to one of anger and annoyance, and she promptly turned to her blonde best friend.

"You know what, Quinn? I actually think moving on is a _great_ idea, so please go ahead and set me up with your friend. What's the worst that could happen, right?" She turned to give a smile of satisfaction to the Latina.

Santana felt her sly grin falter with Rachel's words. Not only had she just been bested, but Rachel's agreeance to the date had caused Santana's heart to feel heavy and sunken; she had gained a fondness of the girl throughout the past couple weeks, and she was afraid that Rachel dating would affect their new dynamic.


	6. Chapter 6

Quinn squealed in excitement as she left the table to go call her friend. Brittany laughed at her friend's receding figure, "Well, I guess I'm clearing the table today by myself today."

"Oh I can help with that," Rachel reached for her own plate and began standing up when she was yanked back down by the Latina next to her.

"Actually, Rach, we need to talk. Sorry, B, but it's all you," Santana smiled at the blonde and then pulled Rachel towards the living room.

"Santana! Could you not be so aggressive, and you left poor Brittany to clean the dished all alone."

The taller girl raised an eyebrow, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you liked me a little aggressive," she said in a suggestive tone.

"Okay, I'm done with you. If you just pulled me in here to harass me further then I-" Rachel's rising anger was interrupted by Santana's suddenly soft voice.

"Are you sure you're ready to date again?" She looked up at the brunette. Rachel was taken aback at the sudden change in demeanor from the girl, and her frustration had disippitated at a similar rate. For the first time since their shared night, Rachel looked into Santana's deep, brown eyes, and she was met with nothing but an overwhelming sense of care and trust.

"No," she found herself saying without thinking about it. "I mean, I want to be; I just don't know if I'm capable of opening myself up to another guy like that anytime soon."

"Guy?" Santana looked up at Rachel. Immediately she regretted the bit of hope that was evident in her tone and prayed that Rachel had not caught on.

The brunette didn't seem to have noticed since she answered the question indifferently, "Or girl. I can't say I'm opposed to being with a girl." Rachel sighed, "Either way, you're right. I should probably go catch up with Quinn before she officially sets up a date."

After she left, Santana remained silent and pensive on the couch. She tried to convince herself that she was doing this simply to look out for Rachel, and she pushed away any doubt that said otherwise. If Rachel put herself out there too quickly, then she would inevitably get hurt which would mean that Santana would have to hear her mope around the house for another few anything, Santana's reasons were purely selfish. Santana sighed and walked into her bedroom; she needed a minute alone.

 **X.**

Throughout the next couple weeks, Rachel and Santana had restarted their copious hangouts since both of their schedules had cleared up. They were in the midst of one of their movie nights where Santana had coaxed Rachel into watching a horror thriller. Currently, the two were on the couch, and Rachel was using her roommate as a shield to hide behind.

"Why did I ever let you talk me into this?" Came the brunette's muffled voice.

"Because I can be very persuasive when I want to be. Plus, it was totally my turn to pick the movie or else we'd be watching _The Way We Were_ for the third time," Santana said while stuffing a handful of popcorn into her mouth. Rachel quickly sat up to face her.

"Hey, that is a wonderful movie, and it doesn't give me nightmares for a week. Why do you even like these movies?" The brunette spoke with an indignant tone.

"It's the thrill of being scared, babe," Santana smirked and looked at Rachel. The smaller girl recoiled at the mention of the pet name, and she took her place again to finish the movie. As much as she would like to believe that things were back to normal between them, she couldn't ignore the air of awkwardness when either one of them said something affectionate or dared to step too close. Rachel had never been in this situation before; she didn't know the proper etiquette around your best friend with whom you accidentally slept. It wasn't an accident. Despite their drunken haze, both of them consented.

"Are you even paying attention?" Santana paused the movie, and turned to face Rachel.

"Yeah, sorry, I just zoned out for a second," Rachel blinked and turned back towards the tv which prompted Santana to resume. "Have you done it since?" Rachel spoke up randomly.

"Done what?" Santana asked distractedly.

"Have you been with anyone?" Rachel asked a lot softer than she had asked her previous question. Santana's eyes almost popped out of her head out of shock. She once again paused the movie and turned to Rachel.

"Rachel, what-"

"I'm sorry. It was a stupid question; you don't have to answer that," Rachel quickly shook her head and turned back.

"No," Santana said after a beat of silence.

"I think you should," Rachel said without making eye contact.

"Oh," Santana muttered. The brunette closed her eyes and sighed. At this point, she was desperate to have things go back to normal. Santana would be the player she always was, and Rachel would be her friend.

"I mean, not to force you or anything because that would be preposterous, but if you want to, you should," Rachel rambled.

"Okay, I will."

"Okay."


End file.
